AI coding assistants like Cursor, Claude Code, or Gemini CLI only become productive once they understand a project's specific vocabulary and conventions. Generic prompts for TYPO3 tasks tend to produce answers that are technically correct but contextually wrong: the wrong TYPO3 version, the wrong API, the wrong concept.
The webconsulting Skills library solves this. It bundles 133 curated Agent Skills into a single collection and distributes them by symlink across all the popular AI clients at once. A developer invokes a skill with a slash command, and the AI client immediately gets the right context for the task.
Table of contents
Overview
Features in detail
TYPO3 skills in detail
Thanks to Netresearch
Installation
Conclusion
Overview
The webconsulting Skills library is a Composer plugin and toolkit that gives AI coding clients structured knowledge. Each skill centres on a SKILL.md file, which is handed to the AI client as prompt context when the skill is invoked, plus optional subfolders for references, scripts, assets, and examples. In total the library holds 133 skills across 13 categories.
What matters most for TYPO3 developers: 28 of these skills cover everyday TYPO3 work, from Content Blocks, Translations, and Testing through to Security, SEO, Workspaces, Vite integration, and Solr. The skills draw on sources including Netresearch and Anthropic .
Cross-client configuration lives in standardised files: CLAUDE.md for Claude Code, AGENTS.md for OpenAI Codex, GEMINI.md for Gemini CLI, .windsurfrules for Windsurf, and .github/copilot-instructions.md for GitHub Copilot. That keeps the context consistent across every client.
The webconsulting Skills library is not a TYPO3 extension and never shows up in the Extension Manager. It is a PHP 8.2+ toolkit installed independently of the TYPO3 project. The 28 TYPO3 skills target TYPO3 v14, but the toolkit itself has no TYPO3 dependencies.
Features in detail
Skills, MCP servers, and CLI tools overlap in day-to-day use, but they serve different purposes. The overview below sets out how they differ:
| Feature | Skills | MCP Servers | CLI Tools |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Curated knowledge / instructions as prompt context | Protocol for tool and data access (live actions) | Executable programmes (commands, pipelines) |
| When active | On-demand via slash command or keyword | Permanently connected, the AI client calls tools | Explicitly started by the user / agent |
| Typical task | Explaining TYPO3 Content Blocks, providing code patterns | Database query, reading a file, calling an API | composer, vendor/bin/typo3, git |
| Relationship | Complements MCP, does not replace it | Complements skills, does not replace them | Used by skills and MCP |
Skill structure
Each skill follows a consistent structure:
| File / Folder | Content | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| SKILL.md | Entry point: Description, trigger keywords, instructions | Yes |
| references/ | Sources, links, further documentation | No |
| scripts/ | Helper scripts that the skill can call | No |
| assets/ | Images, schemas, example files | No |
| examples/ | Code examples and demo implementations | No |
TYPO3 skills at a glance
The 28 TYPO3 skills cover the following areas, among others:
Content & Structure
Quality & Testing
Infrastructure
TYPO3 skills in detail
The TYPO3 skills are deliberately organised around real project phases: architecture, development, migration, quality assurance, editorial, and operations. As a result, the AI client can go beyond generic PHP answers and make TYPO3-specific decisions: the right Core APIs, v14 conventions, Fluid 5 behaviour, XLIFF rules, workspace pitfalls, and go-live checks.
| Skill | What can I do with it? | Why is it good? |
|---|---|---|
| typo3-content-blocks | Model, migrate, and debug Content Elements, Record Types, Page Types, and File Types. | Keeps YAML, labels, previews, and the data model together as a single source of truth. |
| typo3-datahandler | Transactionally create, modify, move, or delete records, pages, content, categories, IRRE children, and localisations. | Avoids direct SQL hacks and correctly utilises the TYPO3 reference index, permissions, workspaces, and events. |
| typo3-records-list-types | Configure grid, compact, teaser, Kanban, or timeline views for the TYPO3 v14 Records module. | Makes backend data more scannable for editors without forcing new PHP logic for every view. |
| typo3-visual-editor | Prepare sitepackages for the FriendsOfTYPO3 Visual Editor, mark content areas, and test frontend editing. | Lowers the barrier to entry for editors and covers typical Fluid/colPos migration pitfalls. |
| typo3-shadcn-content-elements | Generate, check, iconify, and test token-based Content Blocks in the shadcn/ui style with seed data. | Combines modern design system thinking with native TYPO3 Content Elements. |
| typo3-vite | Set up Vite 7, SCSS, Bootstrap 5.3, asset hashing, SVG optimisation, fonts, and PostCSS for TYPO3 v13/v14. | Fits the TYPO3 v14 reality: external build pipelines instead of old core compression. |
| typo3-solr | Configure or debug EXT:solr, Index Queue, facets, suggest, Tika file index, custom indexers, and vector search. | Brings enterprise search into a repeatable TYPO3 architecture instead of sporadic trial-and-error configuration. |
| typo3-workspaces | Handle versioning, staging, publishing, overlay queries, previews, permissions, and workspace repair. | Reduces bugs that only become visible during the draft or approval process. |
| typo3-translations | Check locallang.xlf, labels, LLL references, XLIFF 1.2/2.0, ICU MessageFormat, and Content Blocks labels. | Protects multilingual projects from missing keys, broken namespaces, and inconsistent terminology. |
| typo3-accessibility | Check Fluid templates, forms, widgets, focus states, ARIA, and go-live checks against WCAG 2.2 AA. | Makes accessibility a development workflow, not a late-stage audit blocker. |
| typo3-seo | Configure EXT:seo, metadata, hreflang, XML sitemaps, robots.txt, canonicals, Open Graph, and schema.org. | Connects technical TYPO3 configuration with measurable visibility and clean indexing. |
| typo3-security | Check trusted hosts, file permissions, Install Tool, MFA, CSP, QueryBuilder, as well as XSS, CSRF, and SQLi protection. | Bundles go-live hardening and extension security into a concrete checklist. |
| typo3-testing | Set up unit, functional, and E2E tests, PHPUnit matrices, CI/CD, mocks, mutation tests, and v14 testing infrastructure. | Makes modernisation resilient because changes can be run against multiple TYPO3/PHP versions. |
| typo3-conformance | Check extensions for standards, TER readiness, Fluid 5, CSP, XLIFF hygiene, Bootstrap 5 migration, and v14 compatibility. | Provides a structured quality check instead of isolated linting findings. |
| typo3-docs | Maintain Documentation/*.rst, README, guides.xml, screenshots, TYPO3 RST directives, and docs.typo3.org rendering. | Ensures that extension knowledge does not disappear in chat but is documented in a maintainable way. |
| typo3-ddev | Manage DDEV environments, backend URLs, PHP versions, multi-version tests, and local TYPO3 setups. | Accelerates reproducible local development and makes agent work testable. |
| typo3-update | Modernise TYPO3 v14 development, Core APIs, controllers, ViewFactory, events, backend modules, TCA, and CLI commands. | Gives the AI client a current v14 default instead of outdated TYPO3 examples. |
| typo3-extension-upgrade | Bring extensions from v11/v12/v13 to v14, coordinate Extension Scanner, Rector, Fractor, PHPStan, and manual follow-ups. | Organises migrations into a resilient process and reduces blind mass changes. |
| typo3-rector | Configure PHP migrations with TYPO3 Rector, evaluate dry runs, and derive manual follow-up work. | Automates a lot but clearly identifies what remains an expert decision. |
| typo3-fractor | Modernise FlexForms, TypoScript, Fluid, YAML, Htaccess, and composer.json with Fractor. | Bridges the gap between PHP Rector and the non-PHP files of a TYPO3 extension. |
| typo3-batch | Plan and execute large hook, event, TCA, DI, Fluid, namespace, and localisation migrations. | Helps with repeatable refactors across many files without losing track of side effects. |
| typo3-simplify | Simplify over-complex TYPO3 implementations, remove duplicates, and favour API-close solutions. | Lowers maintenance costs before additional abstractions or workarounds make the project cumbersome. |
| typo3-powermail | Develop or debug Powermail forms, finishers, validators, spam protection, events, TypoScript, and templates. | Covers real-world form workflows, including email output, conditions, and extension points. |
| typo3-news-tags | Generate topic tags for EXT:news and assign them to existing news records via keyword matching. | Makes large news inventories faster to structure and easier to filter. |
| typo3-idea-extension-blog | Check external ideas for TYPO3 extension potential, outline an implementation, and prepare an accompanying German article. | Combines product idea, technical feasibility, and content marketing in one process. |
| typo3-initial-release | Review, tag, and document the initial release of a TYPO3 v14 extension and prepare it for the TER, Packagist, and GitHub. | Prevents release metadata, CI matrices, or compatibility details from missing shortly before publication. |
| typo3-core-contributions | Analyse Forge issues, prepare Gerrit patches, plan cherry-picks, and classify Core CI problems. | Makes TYPO3 Core contributions more predictable for project teams. |
| typo3-icon14 | Migrate extension and backend module icons to the TYPO3 v14 line art style and check IconRegistry names. | Ensures a consistent backend appearance, including light/dark behaviour. |
In practice, this means you stop asking "how does TYPO3 work?" and start handing over highly specific tasks. For example:
Building new features
Modernising existing code
Ensuring quality
Stabilising operations
The benefit isn't that a skill does anything "magical". The library works because it loads the right context at the right moment: TYPO3 version, API conventions, common pitfalls, audit trails, and the appropriate tools. That makes AI answers less generic and far quicker to verify in real projects.
A big thank you to Netresearch
A large share of the TYPO3 and PHP skills in this library come from Netresearch DTT GmbH or build directly on their groundwork. For that, a heartfelt thank you: through these skills, Netresearch has structured and documented a great deal of hands-on TYPO3 knowledge and made it usable by AI coding assistants.
Without this foundational work, the collection would be far smaller and far less practical. The TYPO3-specific topics benefit most: Content Blocks, DataHandler, testing, upgrades, security, documentation, and many of the recurring migration patterns.
Installation
git clone https://github.com/dirnbauer/webconsulting-skills.git
cd webconsulting-skills
./install.shThe install.sh script detects the installed clients and creates the symlinks automatically. No root privileges needed.
Frequently asked questions
Conclusion
The webconsulting Skills library fills a practical gap: it brings curated TYPO3 knowledge straight into the AI coding client, with no configuration effort, no extension to install, and across all the popular clients at once. With 133 skills and a growing TYPO3 section, it is a tangible tool for teams that want to put AI assistants to productive use.
The library builds on public skill collections from Netresearch and Anthropic . Special thanks go to Netresearch for many of the TYPO3 and PHP skills, and to the TYPO3 community for their feedback.